‘The glue that sticks us all together’: Moose Jaw Sidewalk Days draws in locals and visitors

WATCH: Spectators and business owners are filling the streets of downtown Moose Jaw for the sidewalk days festival, taking place until July 5.

Despite a heat warning hitting Moose Jaw on Thursday, visitors and locals still flocked to the streets for the annual Sidewalk Days Festival.

The event is the largest outdoor festival in southern Saskatchewan, spanning across nine blocks on Main Street, and featuring over 40 local businesses.

“This is the glue that sticks us all together,” said David Gerdas, a regular attendee each year. “You meet old friends, you meet new people. This is where we get to tour the strip and just enjoy Moose Jaw.”

The three-day event, which runs every July, brings together food vendors, local business owners, entertainers, and spectators of all ages. Tourism Moose Jaw’s Executive Director, Donna Fritzke, said planning for the event has been underway since January.

“We’ve had an incredible team of people that have been working on this event, and it looks like it’s going to be a huge success,” Fritzke said. “We’ve got 50 volunteers. So it really, truly is a community event.”

While this is Glenda Taklac’s second year on the vendor side with the team at Creative Concrete Designs, she said she’s been attending for as long as she can remember.

“Since I was a teenager, I’d be a spectator. This is our second year being a vendor, so I get to see it from a different side now,” she said.

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Volunteer Brent Greiner from the Fellowship of Christian Farmers of Canada, said it’s the people that brought him back as a volunteer this year, despite weather warnings.

“It’s great to meet people from all over the place,” he said. “I just have to drink lots of water and get under the shade when I can.”

The festival wasn’t just drawing Saskatchewan crowds either. Ingrid and Jason Achtymichuk, who were visiting from Ontario, took time out of their spa trip to attend.

“We actually carved out time to come here for this. It’s a wonderful event” Ingrid said.

“In Ontario, we’re used to high humidity, so this heat is fine. People pay thousands to get this weather in February,” Jason added.

Fritzke noted that Sidewalk Days is one of the busiest times of year for downtown businesses and an important moment for community connection.

“We always promote shopping local, so this is great,” she said. “To be able to connect with all of the different businesses and people in our community—that’s the best part for me.”

As the festival continues into day two, so does the spirit of summer in downtown Moose Jaw.